via al:
Tighter food stamp restrictions are coming under a White House plan that would expand work requirements for those receiving assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plan would add additional restrictions on states’ ability to exempt non-disabled adults from job requirements, according to The Associated Press. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the regulatory changes would save some $15 billion over 10 years.
Currently, able-bodied adults between 18 and 49 without children are required to work 20 hours a week to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the official name for food stamps. Non-disabled adults without dependents are limited to three months of SNAP benefits in a three-year period if they don’t meet the work requirements.
States with unemployment rates of 10 percent or higher are able to apply for one-year waivers on work requirements, however. Currently, waivers are in place in Alaska, District of Columbia, Louisiana and New Mexico. Twenty-nine states are approved for partial waivers based on area-by-area unemployment. Alabama is one of 17 states that does not grant work-requirement waivers.
From Fox News:
The Trump administration is set to constrict work requirements for millions of people who receive federal food assistance and curtail just how much control states have in granting exemptions.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements would save $15 billion over 10 years.